South Asia floods leave 20 million stranded

A man wades in chest-high waters while women and children cling to a boat at Madanabori, in Assam

By Peter Foster, South Asia Correspondent

12:01AM BST 03 Aug 2007

Up to 20 million people have been left stranded in India, Nepal and Bangladesh as heavier than usual monsoon rains caused some of the worst flooding for 25 years.

At least 200 people have died as major rivers burst their banks following more than 20 days of continuous rain, washing away roads, bridges and entire villages.

Emergency rations and medicines are being air-dropped, at least in India, but the lack of clean drinking water could trigger disease as impoverished populations are driven from their homes, warned Oxfam.

In Bangladesh, more than 85 people have died, with four million displaced.

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In the north and eastern Indian states of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh some 15 million people have been displaced and more than 120 killed, including 28 whose over-laden rescue boat capsized on Wednesday.